Survivors
by M.G.Reilly
Summary: Post BDM. The survivors of Miranda are laying low, taking small jobs for food and fuel, but their infamy reaches further than they think and avoiding the Alliance is becoming even more troublesome than usual.
1. River

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Firefly/Serenity or any of its characters.

**Author's Note: **Just recently stumbled onto this site and was fortunate enough to find a Firefly section. As I'm sure most people that frequent this section agree, Firefly was way ahead of it's time and got cancelled way before it deserved. I had a few ideas about episodes since, but for this I've decided to write one long story. If it helps to think of it in terms of a made for TV movie, by all means, do so. I decided to divide the chapters like one of my favorite authors, George R.R. Martin, in which each chapter is named for the character the chapter is about. This story takes place after the BDM, with Wash and Book still dead. Yeah, I know it sucks but we all gotta move on sometime. This is my first fanfic, so please leave reviews for feedback, whether its positive or negative. Thanks, and enjoy.

**Survivors**

RIVER

She looked in child-like wonderment through the glass of the crew station, out into the infinite blackness beyond. The stars, the moons and planets; the galaxies known and unknown seemed to beckon her forward, to give her comfort. River liked to fly the ship; sometimes _Serenity _would talk to her, the same way it would talk to Kaylee, only a little different. Kaylee could hear when the boat was damaged or close to hurting, but River could hear that and everything else. The microscopic ions and particles, the trillions of atoms in and around _Serenity_. She could smell where the ship had rusted and where the food in the galley had gone bad. She could feel the crates and boxes' vibrations in the cargo bay as the contents inside shifted during the slightest of course-changes or corrections. She could even hear the crew. All of them, when they spoke, and sometimes when they didn't.

Mal had left just three minutes and twenty-seven seconds ago, telling her he was going to get some food.

"Put 'er on auto if you want, we're headin'straight for a while, " the Captain said, as he got up from the co-pilot station. He usually always sat in the station when River was flying. He didn't trust her completly yet, which was perfectly rational but still discouraging at times. "Come down to the kitchen an' get some food."

"That's okay," River told him. "I want to fly a little longer, she needs me."

"She?" Mal gave her a puzzled look, but she could tell he was only humoring her.

River turned toward him and smiled, "Serenity, she needs me to stay for a little while longer."

Mal smirked and raised his eyebrows, "Fair enough, I'll go get a bite then take over so you can eat."

River gave him a mock-salute and returned his smirk. He smiled, shook his head then walked down the stairs, past the living quarters into the kitchen where the rest of the crew had been sitting in an uneasy silence. He sat and joined them, River felt his heart begin to beat slightly faster when he looked towards the Companion, Inara. But he exhaled and slowed it down again, pushing it away, like he always did. Love made no sense to River, an emotion too complex to put into words, even for her. It was all just chemicals anyway, making small and nearly undetectable changes in the brain and convincing it that the object of affection had to be attained and kept or disaster would follow. It made no sense to her. It didn't make sense to Mal either - at least that's what he liked to tell himself. Even so, he had said that the first rule of flying was love. This had made River smile, but had confused her even more. Mal had strong emotions for three things: his ship, his crew, and Inara. Yet he was only willing to accept the first two on the list. River supposed he was just scared. Most people were. That's why they wrote the 'Don't-Be-Afraid' book that the Shepard had liked to carry around. The book didn't seem to help, most people were still afraid. People were afraid of River too. She had been okay now for a while. Since Miranda. Not one bad dream, but Simon was still treating her, he was still scared something bad would happen. Like all the others.

But not _Serenity, _the ship seemed alive to her, but it wasn't afraid, and it didn't understand love anymore than River did. It was just a ship, River liked that. She closed her eyes, letting herself give all her attention to _Serenity._ The boat groaned and creaked, sounds so small most people wouldn't notice. River crinkled her nose as the smell of dinner drifted up from the kitchen. The big one with the funny hat, Jayne, must have been cooking again. He seemed to like it when it was his turn to cook. He was the only one though. River kept her hands on the helm, kept them steady and held on as she reached out and drifted down to the kitchen to sit with the rest. River steered _Serenity _with ease, as she sat down beside Simon at the kitchen table. She looked at him slightly cringe as he tasted Jayne's cooking. Simon was too polite to say anything though, they all were, except Mal.

"Jayne, what do you call this?" Mal looked up from the bowl in front of him to the big man.

Jayne raised his eyebrows at the question and mustered as much sarcasm as he could, "Dunno, Mal. Din't figure to give it a name. How 'bout 'Jayne's Special Stew'? Hell, how 'bout 'food'?"

Zoe chimed in, "Is that what this is?"

Inara successfully hid a smile from Jayne, Mal was sitting right next to her though and caught it. He smiled back. River was surpised to see her brother's tact falter first. He laughed and unsuccessfully tried to disguise it as a cough. Jayne wasn't convinced.

"Somethin' funny, Doc?"

Simon straightened up, "No, no. Of course not, it's...good, I was just.." Kaylee burst out laughing and the rest followed suit. "I'm sorry." Simon said to a bewildered Jayne as he angriliy looked around the table.

"Ha ha, very funny." Jayne nodded his head. "C'mon you sissies, it ain't that bad." Jayne scooped up some of his 'special stew' and tasted it. His eyes went wide and he forced himself to swallow the vile tasting substance. The table had gone quiet as he tasted it, but began to laugh again as he got up and said, "Well, gorramit! Stop askin' me to cook then!" He pushed himself up from the table and stomped over to the kitchen, looking for a place to dispose of the sluge. After everyone's fits of laughter stopped, Kaylee said: "Well, shoot cap'n, I'm hungry. We got anything else to eat in this kitchen?"

Mal shrugged, "Reckon we do. Don't believe it would taste any better'n what Jayne served us though."

"Where are we headed, sir?" Zoe asked directly, being sure not to give away any sign of emotion on her face.

_She hasn't let herself feel it,_ River thought to herself, _and she's scared... She hasn't told them._

Mal pushed the bowl of stew away, "We're flyin' blind. Way I figure it, safest thing to do right now. Since Miranda..." He trailed off, everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably at the name, and River found herself back at the helm, shivering, though she wasn't cold. " We need to lay low for a spell, get our bearing back..." She heard Mal's voice say before it faded away and her attention was back on _Serenity._ Silly questions began to form in her head then, questions she couldn't answer; voices she'd never heard before; places she hadn't been. She reeled, trying to steady her grip on the controls.

_No, not now. I've been right for so long now. Why now? _River shuddered and shook her head. _Have to focus. Stay focused. She needs you, she said so..._ She reeled again, but this time she couldn't hold on.

_I tried, I tried. Help me when I'm not right. I see them. Simon. They're there, where we will be. They're waiting for us, but not for us. For something else, can't see it..._

River felt the ship lurch left with her as she fell from the seat and onto the floor, she heard herself screaming but couldn't stop it. Heard the words coming out of her mouth without her telling them to: "Two by two, hands of blue, two by two, hands of blue, hands of blue..." Hands touched her shoulder and a calm voice asked her things she couldn't hear. Simon. For a moment the world turned right again and the screaming stopped. _Serenity_ came back to her and began making its sounds and smells again. She saw Mal at the controls, fighting to make her fly straight again, to make her calm. River felt the empty feeling come back, and the stars blurred outside of the glass and she felt her stomache empty onto the deck._ Why does it run out, when everything else runs in? _She felt Simon pick her up then, he wasn't very strong, but she felt safe. _He can't make them stop._ She began to understand the words he said then, the rest of them were talking too as Simon carried her through the galley.

"River," he sounded frantic, trying to calm his voice. "River can you hear me? It's Simon. Can you hear me, mei mei?"

"What happened to 'er now, thought she was over them crazy spells."

"Jayne, you're not helping. Simon, it there anything we can do?" The companion's voice always sounded like a song. River smiled lazily.

"No. Thank you," her brother said it politely, but River could sense the panic behind his words. "I just need to get her to the infirmiry."

"Jayne, cargo bay." Zoe signaled him over her shoulder as she walked quickly towards the hatch. "Better make sure nothin' got too rattled."

"_Goe niang yang de,_" The ape swore as he truged behind the woman. " Just when I was startin' to like her, she's makin' me do grunt work.."

The intercom crackled overhead: "_Kaylee! I need you in the engine room, she won't straighten out.. think it's the...Hurry it up!"_

Kaylee looked apologetically at Simon, "I'll be right back..." She turned and ran down the corridor. There was smoke coming from the engine. She ran faster.

River heard herself say. "Tell her I'm sorry..."

"Who, mei mei?" He was always confused by the simplest things she said. She rolled her eys at him.

"_Serenity_, tell her I didn't mean to leave her alone..." Simon layed her on the operating table in the infirmiry, and began opening drawers and cupboards, frantically searching for the right medicine.

"That's okay, the Captain has her now. You didn't do anything wrong." His voice was soothing, like it always was when she was hurt. River felt a needle go into her arm and winced in irritation. "Just lay here until you feel like you can-"

River sat up and calmly got off the table. "I'm fine now." She said it plainly to his face. It was true. The voices were gone now, no more unfamiliar pictures. She touched the place where the needle stuck her. "We can't stop it now, too many things in the way. Not by ourselves..." She trailed off, and felt Simon catch her as she began to fall and put her back onto the table. She was impossibly tired. _Just for a little while. For a little while..._ She told herself as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Mal

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Firefly/ Serenity or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I don't know too much about jet engines, and even less about firefly engines, so please forgive me if some of the technical jargon makes no sense whatsoever. And remember this is just for fun. Thanks, and enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated guys.

**MAL**

"_Ta ma de wo pao!"_ Serenity was still fighting him, pulling starboard and listing downwards, she wouldn't respond, while the constant beeps and flashes on the control panel taunted him with their indications and 'Warning' lights. He switched on the comm link: "Kaylee, talk to me!" A few more frustrating seconds passed before she answered.

_ "There's some tools fell into the lower transmission bay. Tore apart one of the primary hydraulic lines.. there's a spanner...I can't get to it..."_ There was a long pause. "_We have to land, Cap'n. She's bleedin'."_

Mal swore again, "Landin' like this is gonna be a helluva trick, Kaylee. Get me the longitudinal controls back, then we'll talk about landing.."

_"I'll try, Cap'n, but without the-"_

"Do what you can. We'll just have to hope nuthin' big comes up on our right." He switched off the link to the engine room, and booted up the nav computer. _"_Knowin' our luck..."

The digital map began to calculate the names and proximities of the nearest planets and moons as Mal continued to battle the helm for dominance.

_ Lilac, too far. Highgate, even further. C'mon you piece of _feihua_, c'mon! _Mal hit the screen in a feeble attempt to speed up it's processing. He shook his head in frustration, just as a pair of footsteps sounded behind him, lightly climbing the grated stairs. He smelled her perfume before she came onto the bridge. _Just what I need..._

"Mal, what's happening?" The subdued fear in Inara's voice sounded alien in lieu of her normal composure.

Mal didn't take his eyes off the screen, "Might wanna find a seat and strap yourself in. Could get interesting if Kaylee can't gimmi back the gorram controls..." The helm loosened for a moment, then locked back right.

"Define 'interesting'," she held herself upright leaning against the side of the ship.

Mal grinned, and felt his stomach do a weird flip. He looked back at her for the first time since she walked in. She was in her red and gold dress, hair tied back into a bun, the jewelry. Everything made her stand out from the dark and dismal metallic interior of Serenity. Everything about her. _This can wait, we gotta get outta this mess first. _The nav computer started to beep at him then, adding to the orchestra of annoying sounds from the control panel. " 'Constance'," he read aloud. "Looks like we have a winner..."

"Mal, will you tell me what's-" The ship did violent lurch as the helm gave way and Mal pulled them hard to port. He corrected but not before Inara was thrown left, losing her grip on the wall. Mal's arm shot out and caught her by the waist mid-fall. She straigtened back up again with his help, and caught his stare before he pulled his hand away. "Thanks..." He saw her fluster, before he turned his attention back to the controls.

He cleared his throat, "You're gonna stay up here you should sit down, don't wanna lose our albatross _and_ our ambassador all in the same day..." She grinned, rolling her eyes, before carefully making her way over to the co-pilot's seat, avoiding his gaze like she always did when he made her smile.

_It can wait, it can wait, _he told himself again. _One mess at a time... _He picked up the comm link again, and flipped the switch for the cargo bay.

"Zoe, how bad is it down there?" He turned the helm as far port as he could, trying to get on the trajectory for Constance. The intercomm crackled:

_ "It's nothing, sir. Few tipped boxes, the Mule's secure, everything intact.." _Mal heard a loud 'boom' in the background, followed by Jayne's voice : _"Nuthin' my ass! Soon as that girl wakes up-"_

Mal cut him off, "Jayne, what'd I tell you 'bout playin' nice? And after you're done down there, head up to the engine room, see if you can't help Kaylee. Zoe, check on the Tams and meet me up here." He set the comm down after he heard a muffled _"Yes, sir."_ come from the other end. The controls were starting to give a little bit more now, and it was easier to get them on course.

"Constance," Inara was looking at the screen in front of her. "One of Haven's moons...won't there be Allaince there, that close to where we...?" She stopped herself, and gave him an apologetic glance.

He gave her a knowing stare in return, "Good chance there's some Alliance there, and it's a sure bet they're on Haven, but we don't got a lot'a options here..." The controls were starting to seize. He flipped the comm. "Kaylee, please tell me good news..."

_ "I was able to bipass the primary number one line into the number two, but we're still leakin' bad, don't know how long she'll hold..." _There was a short pause, then she said: _"Jayne wants you to know he jammed his 'trigger' finger gettin' the spanner from under the engine..."_

Mal shook his head, "You tell Jayne my heart goes out to him, how much time we got before the lines run dry?"

_ "Don't know, Cap'n, like I said...but the lines aren't the only problem..."_

Mal grinned and gave a nod, _"_Now how did I know you were gonna say that?"

_"Some fluid got sucked up through the compressor and started to burn through the turbines from the heat, we got it stopped, but-"_

"The damage is done," Mal finished for her. He sighed, going through everything in his head. The lines would go dry in a little less than an hour, at which time the landing gear wouldn't be able to lower. The turbines would give out before then, given the heat and the velocity they were traveling. And they were still a good distance from Constance, too far for the shuttles to make it from here. "Kaylee, prep the engine. We gonna do a burn."

_"What? Captain, if you try to make a jump like this we'll-"_

"If we don't make the jump we're dead in the water, I'll be damned if we're doin' that dance again. Gimmi the juice for a three minute burn and we'll be close enough to take the shuttles the rest of the way."

_"The rest of the way where?"_

"No time, Kaylee, I'll explain everything later," he stopped and considered. "Provided we don't blow up."

_"But, Cap'n, I..."_

"Kaylee, you're doin a good job down there, now you're gonna hafta to trust me, okay?" There was long pause.

_"You're the Captain, Cap'n."_

"That'a girl," he smiled, and switched the comm off just as Zoe walked onto the bridge.

"How's River?" Inara asked.

"She'll be all right, doc's lookin' after her." The strong woman couldn't hide the look of worry on her face. "How 'bout us, sir?"

He gave her a smirk, " Ah, you know, the usual..."

Zoe raised her eyebrows, "That bad?"

Mal flipped the comm again, "Kaylee, we ready?"

_ "Ready as she's gonna get, Cap'n."_

"Good, grab everyone else and tell 'em to strap in," he took a deep breath, looking at the booster switch. Then he closed his eyes, and his free hand reached up to touch the crucifix hanging under his shirt, and he exhaled slowly, before his eyes snapped open again, and he turned to find Inara's eyes staring back at him. The look said a thousand words, but he didn't have time to listen to them now. _It can wait, it can wait... _He turned away. "Here we go, folks. Hard burn in: Three...Two...One..."


	3. Kaylee

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Firefly/Serenity or any of it's characters.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for being patient guys, I think I'll post a couple more chapters on this site, then I'll finish the rest and re-post the whole thing. Sixty days isn't that long when I'm writing on the fly, but I'll find a good stopping point before I quit posting. As always, your input is greatly appreciated.

Kaylee

Mal's voice came over the comm-link again: "_Kaylee, we ready?"_

She gave an annoyed sigh, wiping sweat off of her forehead with her hands still covered in grease, oil and hydraulic fluid. _No, we're not ready - we can't do a burn, Captain, the turbines won't take the heat, the crank shaft could crack... explosions...fire...and a heap'a other bad things! _She wanted to yell into the comm at him that he's a _biānfú fèn fēngkuáng de rén_. But, of course, she didn't; and she _did_ trust him. She knew he loved the boat as much as she did. So she gave in and grabbed the comm: "Ready as she's gonna get, Cap'n."

The comm crackled: _"Good, grab everyone else and tell 'em to strap in."_

She rolled her eyes and looked at Jayne, who gave her a tired nod. He flexed his hand a couple of times, massaging his jammed finger, "Sounds pretty calm don't he? I'm mean, considerin' he's gonna blow us all up."

Kaylee grinned, "We'll be okay. Cap'n wouldn't put us all in danger unless there weren't no other way, Jayne."

He smiled and looked around the engine room, "Yeah, well. Reckon we should get outta here 'fore the fireworks start."

Jayne shouldered past her and went out of the passage, down the stairs to get River and Simon. Kaylee made to follow, but turned around to get one last look of the engine. "Hold together, girl. Just a little bit longer." She left and turned the corner to head down the stairs to help with River. Her feet clanged on the catwalk hugging the side of the infirmiry and she heard Jayne's voice.

"Let's go, doc, ain't askin you again!" He was being his usual insensitive self, and Simon was returning fire with his calm, logical tone.

"It's not safe to move her like this! She's had serious head trauma and nausea, if I move her it could make it worse... She has to stay stable until I can figure out what happened!"

Kaylee walked in to make peace when the intercomm sounded throughout the ship: "_Here we go folks. Hard burn in: Three...Two...One..."_

"Hold on!" Kaylee said, as she dove into the room to hold down River, who was still laying on the operating table. Simon ducked over them and put his arms around them both. The ship jolted forward, pushing them all backwards. Drawers and cupboards flew open, spilling medical supplies everywhere around their feet. Jayne pushed back on the table, trying to keep it stationary as Serenity continued to surge through space at an uncomfortable speed. "He's pushing her too hard! It shouldn't be like this!" Kaylee yelled to no one in particular as the table finally bested Jayne's strength and pushed him and the rest against the far wall. He grunted in pain as it pinned him against the metal shelves, and gritted his teeth, intent on replacing the pain with anger. That's when Kaylee heard the alarm go off. Engine fire.

"Goddamn, _chi gou shi, erzi yi_..." Jayne said, still trying to push them back to the middle of the room with no result. The jump seemed to last forever, then the intercomm crackled again. Kaylee could barely make out Mal's words over everything else:

"_Everyone hold on to something! I'm shuttin' her down!"_

Kaylee heard the engines stop their loud humm and the ship gave a violent lurch, pulling them all back to the center of the room. One by one, they all opened their eyes and lifted themselves up from the table. Jayne grabbed Simon by his collar and yanked him forward. Kaylee yelled, "Jayne don't!"

"Yeah, you're right, doc! That was much safer than listenin' to me! How 'bout next time you save the medical _feihua _and do what the hell I ruttin' tell ya!" He let Simon's collar go and shoved him backwards before stomping out of the infirmiry and up the stairs. Simon scowled after him, fixing his collar, trying to slow his breathing down.

"Are you okay?" Kaylee said, grabbing his hand. He didn't seem to notice. He was still fuming. "Hey," she said as she reached up and turned his face toward hers. "He don't mean nuthin' by it, he was only trying to help you get somewhere safe."

He calmed down a little bit, meeting her eyes. "He's got a funny way of helping. Yelling, barking orders..." He massaged his neck absentmindedly as he checked on River, who had slept soundly through the whole ordeal.

Kaylee smiled, "It's just his way, you just let him get to you too much."

He grinned back at her, "Yeah. Well, next time you come and tell me. I'd much rather see you than him."

Kaylee blushed, "Doctor, are you makin' a pass at me?"

"Maybe..."

Kaylee moved in closer to him, pressing her body against his. His hands went to her waist, then he reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "So tell me more pretty things about me," she said.

"Well... you're not big and dumb." He laughed, and was relieved that she did too. "And you never yell. And you're..pretty. And wonderful. And kind..."

"You're gettin' better at sweet talkin'," she couldn't stop smiling to save her life at that moment. "You been practicing?"

Simon gave a little shrug, "I don't know..."

"Are you gonna kiss me or not? I got work to do..."

He smiled an embarrassed Simon-smile, before pulling her close and kissing her passionately. Everytime he kissed her, she felt weightless. The sound of the fire alarm seemed to fade far in the distance as her lips slide over his. He slowly pulled away, ending the kiss. She still had her eyes closed, savoring the momentary vacation from reality.

There was a loud knocking on the window behind them. Mal was knealing on the catwalk outside of the room, looking in. "If you two are done in there, we got a broken ship needs tendin' to..."

Kaylee laughed beside herself, "Sorry, Cap'n. I just couldn't help myself..."

Mal walked around to the entryway. "Well, I guess I can understand that, Simon being the handsome, young doctor-type that he is, an' all. But bein' that we have an engine can't seem to stop settin' itself on fire, I'd say you got some more pressing things to take care of first."

She smiled again, "All right, Cap'n. I'm goin', I'm goin'." She turned around and gave Simon another quick peck on the cheek. "See you later."

"Okay," he said. "Don't burn yourself."

"Oh, I'll make sure she's taken care of, doc. Don't you worry." Mal said, looking down at River on the operating table. "How is she?"

Simon snapped back to serious mode quicker than Kaylee could catch it, "She's stable...just in a deep sleep. Slept through the whole jump."

Mal nodded, "You reckon she'll be fine down here without you for a minute?"

"I suppose so. Why?"

"Need to get everyone together. Figure out what's next."

Kaylee gave Mal a questioning look, "Where are we Cap'n?"

"Stone's throw from Constance. One of Haven's moons. We gotta try'n re-supply there. Maybe find us a job. So, if you two are done...workin'...we can get to buisness."

He turned and walked back up the stairs. Kaylee looked after him, then turned to Simon. "Guess we better go."

Suddenly River gave a loud gasp and sat up straight on the table, staring blankly forward.

"River?" Simon rushed over to her. " River? Are you all right?"

She turned to him slowly, and, recognizing his face, gave a big smile. "Simon."

He smiled back at her, "Are you all right,_ mei mei_? You scared me."

She put a loving hand on his face, and turned her attention to the ceiling. Simon and Kaylee both looked up with her.

"What's wrong?" Kaylee said, concern in her voice.

River got down from the table and continued to look up. "They're close now," she said it quietly, almost to herself. "They're very close..."


	4. Inara

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Firefly/Serenity or any of its characters.

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the wait, guys. I was kind of hitting a wall, trying to figure out where I wanted to go with the story. But I think I got a handle on it now. I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews and comments. Definately motivated me to keep going. I'll try and put a little more action and intrigue in future chapters, since these first four are basically going to serve as re-introduction to characters.

INARA

As soon as the engines stopped screaming from the burn, Inara opened her eyes and exhaled slowly. She could smell smoke coming up through the galley, and the alarm was beginning to give her a headache; _Serenity_ was making the aftermath of Mal's plan apparent to everyone on-board. She looked over at him. _You did the right thing, don't worry. I'm sure you did the right thing..._She looked away, hating herself for her weakness. Giving away too much, as she saw it. The eyes, the body language, everything she did around him seemed so forced. The language she had been taught to recognize and emulate as a child faded into the background whenever they were close. _This isn't important now. Wake up._

Mal didn't waste any time. He had unstrapped from his chair as soon as they were back at normal speed, ready to go check on everyone else. He looked over at her, his eyes finding hers, just as they had before the jump. She barely realized that her heart had begun to beat faster; that she was waiting to hear his voice.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He grinned.

By now she had gotten used to disappointment, suddenly she hated herself again. She gave him an annoyed look. _What did you expect?_ She turned her head unstrapping herself, as Mal and Zoe made to leave the bridge. Zoe hung back, waiting for her.

"You okay?" Her face didn't match the concern in her voice. Her and Mal knew a lot of the same tricks.

_Two words, Mal. And look, it didn't kill her! _The fact that she needed the attention from him made her even more angry, but she smiled back at Zoe, all the same. "I'm fine..."

Zoe gave her a knowing look, and a half-grin. "Give it time. I've known him for the better part of a decade and I still couldn't tell you his middle name..."

Inara blushed, falling into step with her as they walked down the crew corridor leading to the galley. "Am I making it that obvious?"

Zoe smiled. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he hasn't noticed yet."

Inara rolled her eyes, "Here the ship is falling apart and I'm gushing like some silly school girl..." They walked into the dining area to find plates, utensils and containers of food scattered around the floor, having jumped from their high perches. As she bent down to help Zoe clean up the mess, she felt horrible. They might be in real danger, and she was busy getting relationship advise from a woman who had just lost her husband. "I'm sorry," she said, before she could stop herself.

Zoe looked up. "Sorry about what?"

Inara knew she didn't want anyone's help, let alone anyone's pity. Even as she looked Zoe had a confused and accusing stare in her eyes. Before Inara could answer Mal's voice sounded from the engine room.

"Zoe, I need you in here! C'mere an' gimmi a hand with this heat shroud..It ain't budgin'..."

Zoe gave Inara another glance before she set down the plates she had been holding and walked towards the passage. Inara listened to her footsteps as they clanged down the hallway and eventually faded off. Then she heard some new, heavier footfalls coming towards the galley. Jayne stomped into view, swearing under his breath about something.

"..._yunchun de hundan, _stuck-up rich boy..." He stopped short when he saw Inara.

"Sounds like you and Simon are getting along the same as ever..."

Jayne spit into the sink, as he started to pick up some of the scattered food containers and plates in the kitchen area. "Only tryin' to help the _gou shi de danao_, told him to find a place to sit down for the jump. Would he listen? No, 'course not. ' Jayne don't know what he's talkin' about. We'll be fine...' " He shook his head, roughly putting away dishes into cupboards. Inara put some forks and knives on top of the stack of plates she'd been collecting and walked over to the kitchen hesitently. Jayne didn't look up at her; silent and brooding as he scrubbed at a stain on the counter. "Pisses me off," he said quietly, stopping a beat before continuing his agitated scrubbing. "Never thought I'd miss hearin' that old man givin' me lectures..."

Inara held back surprise, knowing it was rare for Jayne to voice any sort of emotion toward anything. As obvious as the differences between them were, Jayne and Book had always seemed to get along for some reason. There was a hole there now. Maybe that's why Jayne had seemed more on edge than usual lately. She set the plates down and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, rage still receding from his face. She wasn't sure if she should say anything, but her feelings got the best of her again. "I miss him too."

He was quiet, then he said, "Stupid, ain't it? How you get used to havin' someone around..." He trailed off. Probably not quite sure what he wanted to say, or maybe completely sure he didn't want to say it. Either way, he was done talking about it and he started to clean again. Eager to change the subject, he said, "Where in the ruttin' hell are we anyway?"

_Welcome back, Jayne._ Inara was almost relieved to return to normal and boring conversation. "Close to Constance. According to Mal we have to take the shuttles the rest of the way..." _My shuttle..._ In all the confusion she had forgotten about her shuttle, probably a mess now after the shakey jump. She put the last of the plates away and left Jayne with a look of confusion on his face.

Overturned tables and broken teacups welcomed her as she entered her room, her sanctuary. All in all the damage wasn't too great. _Just more pieces to pick up..._ She began gracefully making her way around the room, straightening a picture here, centering a bottle of inscense there, slowly becoming numb to the painfully familiar cleaning process.

"No permanent damage done, I hope." Mal leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed, as he looked around the disheveled room.

Inara stood up, having just set a low-sitting table upright. "Still not knocking, I see."

He gave her a cocky smile. "Old habits die hard."

"At this point I think we can call it tradition..."

He shrugged, "Have it your way." He bent down to pick up a broken tea cup on the floor. She angrily walked towards him and took it from his hand.

"_Yuchun zi da de ren! _I could write a book about all the ways you insist on annoying me..."

"Can I read it after you're done?" He quipped.

"Oh, you'll be the first." She shot back at him.

"As always, Inara, I didn't come in here lookin' for a fight, but you always seem to have one ready for me..."

"That's because you-!"

He raised his voice over hers. "I came in here to tell you your shuttle's the one we'll be takin' since it's in better shape than the other!"

She folded her arms, " 'Tell me', not ask me. This is my shuttle, Mal!"

He leaned in close to her then, and she felt herself flush. "Oh is it? Well, seein' as how you ain't paid for this last month, I'm thinkin' it's my shuttle, and I can damn-well do with it as I see fit!"

"Last month? Mal, I've only been back on the ship two weeks! And we haven't been near any civilized systems since then!" _Since Miranda..._

"Well it just so happens Constance has some pretty sizable cities on its surface, might be you find some clientelle there. But until then, be sure you remember you're livin' on this boat outta the sheer kindness of my heart!" He stopped after he said it. Like he'd made a mistake, and he leaned away from her then, as if the backward motion of his body could take back the words.

Inara looked at him, studying his features, his expression. "I know that...And you know that I'm grateful, Mal. This shuttle is all I have left..." He seemed to calm down at her words, regretting his anger.

"I know it's your home here...can't think of why you wanted to stay...but I'm glad you did..."

Inara's heart caught in her throat. _Signs of life..._She smiled and noticed too late that she was touching her hair. She snatched her hand away, hoping he hadn't noticed. Of course he hadn't, she turned away from him. "Is everyone else all right?"

He cleared his throat, "Fine. Nuthin' a band-aid won't fix."

She smiled. "That's good to hear."

"So, how 'bout it, Inara?"

She turned back to face him, "How about what?"

It took him a little while to swallow his pride, and she enjoyed watching every second of it. "Would it be all right if we..used your shuttle?"

She beamed. "Of course, Mal. So kind of you to ask."

He gave her a sarcastic nod, "Well that's me, 'Captain Kind and Caring'." He began to walk toward the entryway. Just before he ducked into the hatch he yelled back: "And stop smiling at me!"

But she couldn't. He'd finally relenquished a small morsal of control, and she was keen on savoring it. She sighed as she looked off after him, leaving the ship behind for a moment. _Wake up, silly girl!_ She shook off the jeering reverie, and tried to think about anything but him as she began cleaning again.


	5. Badger

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Firefly/Serenity or any of its characters.

**Author's Note: ** Sorry about the gaps in between chapters, guys. Been really busy lately and haven't had a stable internet connection for a while. Guess it was kind of an unintentional homage to George R.R. Martin: four chapters in a row and a ridiculously long wait for the fifth. Anyway, here it is. Love to hear your reviews and/or suggestions. Enjoy.

BADGER

Like Athens, Highgate, Lilac and all of their moons, the small rock called Constance brought dissappointment. Most of the towns on the moon were small; fifty or so useless souls lookin' to make a living - and failing. This one though boasted a couple _thousand_ useless souls, and a lot more Alliance activity than he would've liked. But at least there were plenty of bars. He didn't know the name of the one he grudgingly found himself buying drinks from, but it didn't need a name. It was a pub; a bar. Same as any in the Verse. Same as all the others at every other port. But this one served a strong and cheap whiskey, so he waited. And he drank.

Bollocks to the tossers missin' their jacobs that sent him here. _Bleedin' _zhuchong _that they are, "Go here," he says. "Stay and wait,"said the other one._ Wearing blue latex gloves, and nice clean suits. Gave him the creeps.

_Spared ya didn't they?_ He thought to himself._ Could'a greased you and all the rest but you're still here..._

Badger spit onto the sidewalk and took another swig from the bottle. He flicked what was left of a smoke into the street and promptly lit another, taking a long drag and cursing his bad luck. _How could they just disappear? _

No one knew where they went. _Serenity_ had fallen off the grid. Dismantled their beacon and tracking signature most likely. Good ole' Mal, always looking out for his crew, bein' sure to dodge the Alliance at every turn he could. Good ole' Mal, leavin' his employers out to dry while he bounces around the Verse... Badger spit again. The whiskey eased the pain a little.

To make matters worse, nobody had the _qiu'_ to follow through with a job, and anything that could be done under the Alliances' nose got rewarded with peanuts for payment. Him and the boys had been scraping by as it was, and now they had these blue-fingered _sishengzi _to deal with too. _They say 'Jump!' and guess what you say?_

But he saw...he remembered...would remember forever the screaming. The two suits walked into his place back on Persephone. Killed the two boys watchin the door. _Good chaps, Mike and, what was his name...? Carl? _

He remembered the screams. The kind where you know it's the last sound they're gonna make... And one of the blue-fingered _sishengzi _dragged one of the blokes through his door... _Mike, or it might've been the other one..._Bloody mess either way... He dropped the body onto the floor, without a hint of emotion, and looked Badger in the face. _ "_Alias - Badger. First name: Leslie, last name: McFarren."

"How do you -" Badger began, but the other one walked in after that, cutting him off.

"Even the smallest rat can't hide from us."

The first chimed in," You will cooperate, or you will be eliminated."

"State the location of the vessel known as Serenity." They seemed to finish each other's thoughts.

"Your time for response is limited."

"State the location and you will be spared..."

Badger remembered being genuinely scared then, despite having dealt with his fair share of rough customers over the years. But, always the gentleman; the businessman, he swallowed the fear and put on his best-fake smile.

"Can't give you what I don't have, mates. Haven't been in contact with that lot since the trouble on Miranda. They've been off the grid..." He stood up, hopefully displaying that he wasn't intimidated by the cold-blooded killers standing in the room with him. "If gentlemen of your stature are unable to find said: Captain Reynolds, why would a low-level stooge like me know where he is?"

The two agents walked up to the desk Badger was standing behind, and again, Badger had to swallow a good amount of fear lodged in his throat before smiling. "But if I can help in any way to find the wayward Captain and his crew, believe me there's nothing that would give me more joy..."

They were silent for a beat. Then the two looked at each other momentarily before turning back to him. "You will be allowed to live for the time being."

"You will take a transport off-planet and search all locations you believe might harbour the fugitives."

"We will be watching you, as we continue our search."

"You're life now belongs to us Leslie "Badger" McFarren."

"I suggest you get moving."

The cheap whiskey made the bad memories even more vivid. Badger shivered and tossed the second cigarette into the gutter, before lighting the third. He looked at his watch. _Where the gorram hell was Will?_ Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped in surprise.

"Easy, boss. It's me." Will Cooper, a tall lankey man stood before him, looking as shaken as he was.

Badger straightened up, quickly replacing fear with annoyance. "Well? Out with it!"

"We gotta get out of here. Off-planet, quick."

"And why is that? What about _Serenity_?"

"Forget _Serenity! _This place is crawling with Alliance. We can't hide from those killers here, it's not safe. They probably already know we're here, connected as they are..." Will looked over his shoulder.

"Well if they know we're here, s'not really hidin' then, is it, Mr. Cooper? Those _sishengzi _know how many nose hairs you and I have; they know my bloodyname for_ luan gao _sake, so it's a sure bet they know we're bloody here!" Badger took another swig of whiskey. "I'm done tryin' to run and hide from them. We have to find that boat, Mr. Cooper. If _Serenity_ is anywhere nearby we can intercept, call those blue-handed _sishengzi_ and be done with this whole mess."

Will couldn't hide the nervousness on his face, but he nodded. "Well, I haven't seen or heard nuthin' about Malcom Reynolds or that damn ship since we landed on this rock."

"Well, we'll just have to keep lookin' then won't we, my dear Mr. Cooper?" Badger stood up from the wobbly table, trying to balance himself through the dizzieness that was quickly taking over. He glared at the bottle of whiskey, barely a shot left in it. _Traitor, _he thought, as he again straightened himself up and walked away from the outside bar, Will Cooper in close tow. They made their shakey way back to the dilapidated hotel, just up the street. Every face they past seemed to be looking at them. "_We will be watching you..."_ The words echoed in his head. He shook it off and continued the laborous walk forward, steadying himself on light posts and numerous store-front windows.

Finally, they reached the hotel after what seemed like miles, and climbed the stairs to the cramped room they shared with the four other crew members. Badger reached for his room key, not noticing the door was unlocked and slightly ajar. Will pushed it open with a light touch. The door swung forward, hit something on the ground, and began to swing back. Badger stopped it and pushed it open fully. Big Tom's body, covered in blood, lay across the floor in their path. Every oraface on his body seemed to have bled out. It was the same for the others. Jaime lay limp on the bed, his lover, and the ship's pilot, Anna lay next to him. Big Tom's son, Little Tom, was slumped over on the couch. All of them covered in blood, except for the agent sitting on the couch, next to the lifeless body of Little Tom. Not a drop on him, not even on his blue gloves. A voice came from behind them:

"Your betrayal is disappointing, Mr. McFarren."

"Disappointing, but not surprising." The one on the couch finished, as he stood up.

"Your attempt to hide from us and not report your findings was most unwise." The one behind them said in an unsettling monotone, as he pushed them into the room.

"Tell us anything that you have found immediatly and your deaths will be quick."

"However..." The other began but stopped. Badger looked back at him. The man had his finger in his left ear. An ear bud, he guessed, giving him constant reports and updates on...well, everything, most like. "Understood." He said, taking his finger out of his ear and looking at his partner. "Ground control radar has spotted a transport floating just outside atmosphere. Firefly-class."

_RUN! _Badger thought, and he made a break for it, barreling through the agent blocking the door and running headfast down the hall to the stairs. He nearly knocked over a cart full of vegatables upon exiting the hotel and continuing his sprint through the streets. _Left Will..doesn't matter... Keep running. Somewhere safe. Gotta be somewhere safe to go..._ He chanced a look over his shoulder to see if they were following him. They weren't, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Bai'chi_! They don't need to follow you. They'll find you! They'll find you if you don't leave now!_ Breathing was quickly becoming more difficult and his legs were already beginning to cramp, but he couldn't stop running. _Have to keep moving. Find a ship, get off-planet. _Passerby around him were staring at him as he lumbered past, the panic-striken run-for-his-life apparent to everyone. He slowed down to a jog, and finally to a walk. Then a slow walk, with coughing and wheezing added on. He shouldered past the people on the streets giving him strange looks. _Stay calm. Don't draw too much attention. Gotta find a ship._ But he knew in the back of his head that there was no place he could hide for long. No where any ship could take him that_ they _wouldn't find. No one could hide from them...no one except... _Bloody hell..._


End file.
